NFL Films Super Bowl Collection 3-Pack (I-XXX)

Rating:
Summary: 'Bowled over, big time!
Review: Another NFL season gone, another round of NFL playoffs comin' up (as of this writing). This is the time I usually look back on those great Super Bowl teams of yore by whippin' out those half-hour Super Bowl highlight shows I taped offa ESPN2 several years back. That is, until NFL Films finally saw the light and put the first thirty together in separate DVD box sets, now combined into this super-set. Now I can watch my fave Super Bowl shows (AKA the 49er and Redskins victories, and the ones the Cowboys, Rams, & Raiders lost) don't have to worry about my gradually deteriorating VHS tapes getting eaten by my VCR!

While I thought the recap shows alone were worth the bucks I threw down, NFL Films added even more value to the presentation by throwing two featurettes in with each Super Bowl game. Included among the mini-shows in games I to X are brief profiles of the careers of Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Bob Lilly, Jack Lambert, and Roger Staubach. Also showcased: the silent enigma that was Cowboys RB Duane Thomas, the Dolphins' undefeated 1972 season and their famed(?) "No-Name" defense of the early 70s, the legacy of Tom Landry, the fights that broke out between CBS and NBC before, during, and after their simultaneous broadcast of Game I, the Minnesota Vikings setting the standard for Super Bowl futility, and other sideline stuff I never knew about before.

Then there's the second decalogue of highlights from "The Great American Time-Out", featuring both good moments (the 49ers' first two wins in XVI & XIX; The `Skins' first Super Bowl Championship in game XVII, and the Bears' 46 defense stealing the show in game XX) and not-so-great ones (The Raiders claiming games XI, XV, and XVIII, and the Cowboys picking up their second Lombardi trophy after XII). While I found most of the featurettes in the XI to XX run kinda interesting, I was also driven to nausea by the sappiness of a few of `em. Runnin' the Saccharine-o-meter to the red zone was the piece on Anthony Munoz and his NFL prospect son, Howie Long discussing his life in football and how he's been keepin' himself busy after his retirement, and Jim Plunkett pulling himself off of the NFL scrap heap to lead the Raiders to two Super Bowl championships. I swear, if I hear one more interview where someone was talking about how much heart ol' what's-his-face had, or how so-and-so's toughness & drive really inspired the rest of the team, I'm gonna need insulin treatments!

Finally, there's the third decalogue of shows, featuring the good (the 49ers' last three championships & the `Skins' last two), the bad (the Giants escaping game XXV with the win, and the Cowboys grabbin' three Lombardis in four seasons in games XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX), and the downright ugly (The Broncos and Bills match the Vikings' record for Super Bowl haplessness). Sadly, most of the contests recapped here were more like "Stupor Bowls" (see my ListMania on this coma-inducing phenomenon at www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse/-/POLOADG90JFT/ref=cm_aya_av.lm_more/102-8646183-3962510 ), featuring the bulk of the NFC's 13 year dominance of the big dance, including the only two Super Bowls where the winning team scored 50 points or more (XXIV and XXVII). A couple games were close at halftime (XXI & XXVIII), but the NFC champions eventually managed to pull well away from their less-than-capable AFC opponents in the second half. Fortunately, there was a halfway decent Super Bowl (XXX) along with two of the greatest ever played (XXIII featuring Joe Montana's legendary drive, and Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood's "miss heard `round the world" in XXV) to help keep the boredom from setting in too deeply. Adding a touch of excitement to both the "blah" games and the smattering of close ones is the wonderful background music, which is some of the most exciting soundtrack tunage I've ever laid my ears on. BTW I'm glad to see NFL Films has seen the light and finally put a whole buncha these tracks out on CD (check it out at www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002VERQA/ref=cm_aya_wlasin.title/102-8646183-3962510?v=glance&coliid=I49VMCS3COBJX&colid=35SRBZ4ZQ8HU3 )...

Unfortunately, there were a couple things that I noticed were amiss: the Supe XXI and XXIII shows have been edited down a bit. I recall the XXI show being titled "Land of the Giants" during the "opening credits" sequence when I caught it on ESPN2, but when I saw it on DVD here, the "Land of the Giants" title had been deleted. More heavily edited was the opening title ("Drive to Greatness") & credits sequence to the Game XXIII show, which was completely excised.

The featurettes in this set usually cover the players who coached or participated in each game (Doug Williams as the Super Bowl's first black quarterback in XXII, Steve Young in XXIX, etc.) or breaks down the most memorable moment in that game (like the Niners' game-winning drive in XXIII, Norwood's miss in XXV, Leon Lett-ing a TD get away in XXVII, etc.). Like the previous sideshows, the XXI-to-XXX mini-films were a bit sappy...

Now I'm wondering if NFL Films will wait until after game XL is played before they put out the final box set-- well, "final" `til games XLI to L have been played, anyway-- or will they do it shortly after XXXIX, and leave the set one Super Bowl short of a full ten? Personally, I'm hoping they go for the former option; I'm patient enough that I could stand to wait an extra year to get a complete ten-game set. But even if they don't wait, set four will likely be the most exciting of the bunch, featuring the best bits of XXXII (John Elway & the Broncos finally winning it all), XXXIV (the Titans end up a yard short of tying the game as time runs out), and XXVI & XXVIII (the Pats' Adam Vinatieri becomes the first kicker to win two Super Bowls with field goals in the closing moments). In any case, I can hardly freakin' wait...

`Late

Rating:
Summary: NFL FILMS JUNKIE
Review: Ever since i was 8 yrs old i have been watching nfl films i have been a nfl films junkie for years. That is what got me to a football fan. If you are a football fan of anytype i suggest getting this collection it shows everthing in these highlights you would see on espn plus more. It is interesting to see super bowl 1 through this last one it shows how much the NFL grew over the years and you can see all the great players through the 60's to present day.